The present invention relates to improvements in a golf ball setting apparatus for setting a golf ball at a hitting position on a ball hitting floor so as for the ball to be ready for being hit, the apparatus being designed for installation under such a floor in a golf training facility or the like.
Conventional golf ball setting apparatuses of this type typically include, as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication Nos. 46133 of 1976 and 25654 of 1993, a cylindrical (hollow) tee to be driven by an electric motor via a tee elevating crank mechanism for vertical movement between a ball hitting position in an upper limit zone and a ball receiving position in a lower limit zone, a ball feeder disk (roller) having a feed pawl which is disposed sidewise of a path for vertical movement of the tee and is to be driven by the motor in conjunction with the crank mechanism for rotation in a direction oriented toward the vertical movement path of the tee, a ball supply (successive supply) chute facing toward the disk so as to permit a golf ball on the forward end of the chute to be fed for engagement with the feed pawl at the side thereof opposite to the vertical movement path of the tee, a photoelectric ball sensor for sensing the presence or absence of a golf ball on the tee which is disposed so as to face toward a hollow portion of the tee, a tee ascent sensor disposed adjacent the crank mechanism for sensing the ascent of the tee to the upper limit zone, and control means (a control circuit) which actuates the motor in response to a no-ball signal from the ball sensor thereby to elevate the tee through the crank mechanism after the tee is lowered and, simultaneously thereupon, deliver via the disk the golf ball on the forward end of the chute onto the tee as the tee passes through the lower limit zone, allowing balls on the chute to advance by gravity one ball ahead, and which thereafter stops the operation of the motor in response to the disappearance of the no-ball signal, that is, in response to a ball-present signal from the ball sensor due to ball reception by the tee and to a subsequent signal from the tee ascent sensor indicating the ascent of the tee to the upper limit zone, thereby causing the golf-ball supporting tee to rest at a ball hitting position in the upper limit zone.
In such a conventional golf ball setting apparatus, even when there occurs some abnormality with any constituent element other than the ball sensor, the abnormality will not affect other components. However, in the event of an abnormal operation such that due to some abnormal function (failure) of the photoreceptive element or the like the ball sensor should detect a no-ball condition despite there being present a ball, the motor would be actuated in a continual series to allow repetitive operation of golf ball supply onto the tee. As a consequence, golf balls are successively supplied from the chute and toward the path for vertical movement of the tee. This poses a serious problem that golf balls gather in the vicinity of the vertical movement path for the tee, which will eventually hinder the operation of the tee and other components and even damage them.